Headline: "Blogs Wane as the Young Drift to Sites Like Twitter"

Let 'em drift, I say. More room on the internet for folks like me who blog because it's fun. The headline is on a story in today's New York Times. It describes exactly why I don't Facebook, Twit or otherwise keep my friends and family up to date on my every activity.

First of all, its none of their business. If I want them to know something important I'll tell them directly rather than involve the entire digital world.

I also blog rather than use other social networks because:

1. I write for myself. But if you can identify with me I hope you find my observations interesting or amusing.  
2. I am not too busy to write more than 140 characters and I'm not dismayed by a lack of followers. (However, you are more than welcome to join me.)
3. I decided early on NOT to engage in the usual political rants tempting as that may be. Why be just another crank when you can aim your crankiness to the technology I find overwhelming.

I'm encouraged by the comments in the Times' story by Lee Rainie, director of the Inernet and American Life Project, who says "the act of telling your story and sharing part of your life with somebody is alive and well--even more so than at the dawn of blogging."

And here is the nub of the story from my viewpoint. As the Times writes: "While the younger generation is losing interest in blogging, people approaching middle age and older are sticking with it." The story then cites statistics showing increased blogging in all age groups from 34-45-year-olds, 46-55- year-olds and 65-73-year-olds.  (Disclosure: I am off their charts but still actively blogging, at least for now.)

A 72-year-old retiree from California said it best in the Times' story: "I'd rather spend my time writing up a blog analysis than a whole bunch of short paragraphs...I don't need to tell people I'm going to the grocery store."

And guess what my wife was doing while I was reading this story this morning. She was WRITING A LETTER. You know, with pen, ink, paper and words, one letter at a time until they made complete sentences. It also required an envelope and a stamp, and will be delivered by the Post Office. Remarkable.

We really are from another world.